Japan Opens Bridge; Main Islands Linked

TOKYO — The Seto Ohashi bridge opened Sunday to rail and vehicle traffic, linking Japan’s four main islands by bridge and tunnel for the first time.

The 7.86-mile bridge, which cost $9 billion and took 10 years to build, consists of three main suspensions, the longest of which is the 1,210-yard central span. This is 198 yards shorter than the central span of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

The double-deck bridge straddles a chain of five small islands in Japan’s Inland Sea. The structure extends 5.6 miles over the water and links the main Japanese island of Honshu with Shikoku island to the south.